Jarvis Googoo

On December 3, 2023, I completed my tenth marathon – California International. The California International Marathon (CIM) takes place on the ancestral homelands of the Nisenan, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwok, Patwin Wintun, and the Wilton Rancheria.

Aside from the Marine Corps Marathon (which had a two and a half year delay due to The Pandemic), this was the furthest in advanced that I have ever registered for a full marathon; nearly a year. In early-December 2022, I was talking to Meaghan about while I loved being a Road Hammer, I actually never really did a planned group trip abroad for a bunch of us to do a marathon together. She said that she was trying to get folks to do CIM in 2023 and that I should come along. Without any real thought, I signed up on December 6, 2022 and the countdown was on. I also registered for the 2023 Fredericton Marathon that same day.

On March 11, with race day being 267 days away, I secured my flights and accommodations. I never booked this early before (not even for a LesMills event). But I was so excited that my anxiety had me sleeping bad all week and figured to calm myself, I should take care of these things now. I opted to pay for the flights (rather than use points) and went with an AirBNB (as always; I thoroughly researched what would be most economical). Later that month, I even started looking into Sacramento restaurants for my immediate arrival and for after the race. I’m not a “foodie” at all, but I was just that pumped for CIM.

As I previously wrote, the Fredericton Marathon didn’t go so well for me (although I wasn’t hard on myself for it). But for CIM, I knew it was critical to calculate the proper amount of carbs, and to be mindful of my bodyweight (as my body fat was continuing to decrease). I couldn’t be guesstimating or presuming too much was okay (I’m certain eating all those jellybeans was a major inhibitor). I needed to count and crunch the carb numbers. Talking to Jennie later in May, we discussed proper carb-loading, previous plans, diversified foods, and other outside factors that may have stressed me for the race (and how I needed to unwind and relax). Speaking with her was more like a therapy session than a nutrition discussion per se, and it helped.

Things picked right back up in June. I did a nice documentary with SportsNet re Reconciliation and running, and with the Ulnooweg Summer Solstice 5K, earning 16:54 felt good especially after Fredericton. But I wasn’t mad about how things went with the May marathon. I did this 5K fast because I wanted to; not because of my Fredericton underperformance.

As I had my old Garmin for almost two years, I wanted an upgrade. Whereas back in my FitBit days I was focused on how many calories I was burning, now I am very interested in all kind of health vitals to ensure things were on track. So I went with the Forerunner 955.

In July, I did my 21.1K at the Nova Scotia Marathon (a good mid-summer race). The day before, I received a beautiful and wonderful message from Erin, “Have an amazing race tomorrow! Full of super vibes from NAIG- you are ready to just crush it. Dig deep those last 2-3km, just 2 laps of the commons, I don’t think you haven’t even tapped into your full athlete potential yet. The world is still waiting to see just how good Jarvis Googoo is. Let’s go!” Without a doubt, this was an incredible morale booster on so many levels that I was very thankful for. That race went great with a new personal best of 1:19:12. As with the 5K in June, I didn’t think/feel as if I was “redeeming” myself for Fredericton; I just wanted to focus on improving things, and was happy especially as it was a tough course and I had a strong finish. I kept my nutrition simple; spaghetti and garlic bread (Friday), Saturday was the usual breakfast, mainly Cliff bars and Gatorade for the day, spaghetti that night, and Sunday morning was oatmeal (two packets), two bananas, Gatorade, a Cliff bar, some orange juice, and another Cliff bar 45 minutes before the start. In that race, I followed Erin’s words for the last two to three kilometres; just twice around our Wednesday morning route for the fast finish.

Later that summer I noticed something. On August 2, I had a great Fartlek, and caught on over the weeks and months that I really don’t have a fixed non-run workout schedule per se. Really depending on my energies, recoveries, and timing, I may add a LesMills workout here or there, but yoga is definitely a priority. Right after that, LesMills CORE (which is incredible for speed), and then BODYPUMP and GRIT. Years ago, I never would have imagined such a practice. By August 15, while I was losing more body fat over the last year and especially in recent months, for the first time I started noticing that I’m much leaner, whereas before I was just losing fat. Now more muscle was showing (which is always nice).

On August 25, I earned a 15:59 for the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games 5K. While this was something that I was proud of (and very keen on achieving), it left with me with an odd hamstring issue, one that still somewhat lingers with me. While thankful it hasn’t affected my running, certain stretches do bother me, but it’s been improving over time. I took September 10 and 11 to rest and started going to physiotherapy to help things out (with some changes in the workouts along the way).

Saturday’s October 14 Long Run was tough, but while that was cool and I wasn’t discouraged (as we just get those rough days), it was around this time that I decided to stop Friday’s walks in order to properly prepare for the Long Runs (same way one shouldn’t walk around a lot prior to a race). Later that month, I earned a new 10K personal best of 36:09. This was my strangest race of the year. It was not as fast as I wanted it to be, but it was still a new personal best nevertheless (which Coach Lee said to celebrate). However, the hamstring area got pretty tight afterwards. I rested up a bit and returned to physiotherapy, worried that I wasn’t going to be 100% for CIM.

On my birthday and into November 1, health issues continued; a toothache. It was extremely severe and so bad that I promptly went to the dentist. A root canal was scheduled. On the plus side, the new physiotherapy exercises seemed to be helping, because the hamstring was somewhat healing. Not fully recovered, but there was improvement. Throughout the month, the hamstring ranged from 70% to 95% in feeling better. But this wasn’t affecting my running, for which I was grateful for. Without a doubt, this is the weirdest injury to date. Later that month, fellow Road Hammer Ryan MacDonald had a CIM feature in CTV Atlantic, and it was nice to get the short shoutout in it:

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/mobile/video?clipId=2815780

After my last Long Run practice (November 25), I chatted with Lee. He asked what I was aiming for at CIM. I answered basically anything better than 2:59:33 (what I earned at the 2022 Marine Corps Marathon), so even 2:59:32 would be good. He smiled and responded that I could do faster than that, and to aim for what Liz and Kaili would be doing. It took me back to Blue Nose 2021, when I thought it would be too tough to earn a Boston qualifier in that race, Erin believed in me and said that I could do it. Sometimes when you may doubt yourself, a great coach sees the potential in you that you may not have been able to at the time. Erin was right for Blue Nose, and Lee was right for CIM.

November 29 was my was day to fly out. To avoid the stresses of last year’s commute to the Marine Corps Marathon and leading up to Fredericton, I did a lot of Breath Work. I arrived in Sacramento very late and just did an Uber Eats without much research. The next morning (and running off of five hours of sleep), I went to a nearby IHOP to begin the carb-loading with a massive and delicious breakfast. The waitress even told me afterwards that she was asking herself if I was capable of finishing everything. With the upcoming marathon, there was no doubt. As it was Thursday, I opted to walk over to Target (my favourite place to stock-up on marathon prep supplies in the United States). Along the way, I saw many tents and camps re homeless people. It reminded me so much of Kjipuktuk/Halifax, and my heart went out to them. Target took about two hours as I did extra research while shopping. Plus with costs, I tried to keep things economically sound. Once back I did my Thursday 6K. I saw others running and one guy yelled as I passed by “CIM?” I shouted back yes and he cheered me on. I did have a short emotional moment. While running, Hearts on Fire started on my playlist, and knowing that Clint lived in California while he was in the Marines, I cried a bit mid-run. I also saw a sign that read, “Be Kind,” which reminded me of Kerri’s mother Ann Marie. Running in the warmer temperatures was incredible and felt wonderful. Back at my AirBNB, after some cooking and prepping, I honestly don’t think that I may ever want to do a regular hotel again when traveling for several days for a marathon. The toaster, stove, large fridge, extra space, etc… are all very convenient.

The next day, thinking back to how sluggish/tired and drained I was prior to Fredericton, I definitely noticed how much happier and energetic I was feeling this time around. Obviously there would be many reasons why, and I’m certain that it was a combination of doing Breath Work exercises, lots of yoga, calculating carb intake based upon my bodyweight (and no excessive amounts of jellybeans), spreading out my meals, and not deviating too much from what I was already eating (Lee said don’t really change anything). The only real thing that I added differently was Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which I do have as a treat, but not part of a regular meal), either on top or inside of something, or as a bowl on its own. That aside, my carb-loading was what I already do (especially before Saturday’s Long Runs), but increased based upon what I weighed. That morning I went to buy a throwaway jacket at good will for the race then went to the expo to get my kit and check out the booths. While everything was good, it was very expensive (probably the highest of any marathon expo that I’ve been to so far). So I decided not to buy anything (I was getting some post-race swag anyway). On my way back, I chose not to do the organized shakeout – too much time walking that day and I didn’t need the extra 3K on top of a shakeout.

Saturday I was still feeling good. During my shakeout, I thought about the high amounts of leaves, and wondered if L Street would be cleared for the race. I reviewed the CIM course video again and its descriptions at various sections. To help pass the time over the days, I watched the Saint Francis Xavier University convocation (as many Mi’kmaq were graduating), viewed a ton of YouTube videos, and read up some more of Daniel Paul’s fourth edition of We Were Not the Savages.

With seven hours of sleep, I woke up on Sunday at 2:45 a.m. Unlike Boston, Marine Corps, and Fredericton, my Garmin vitals raged from good to excellent. Definitely a confidence booster. Giving myself about four hours before racing, I had a bagel, banana, 240 millilitres of pineapple juice (which I’m not sure if I need that much), and Gatorade. I got a text from Kaili, informing me where the group was meeting up at for 4:15 a.m. Once there, it was great to start seeing other Road Hammers (Sunday was the only day that I would be with the team). We boarded the buses and were off. I opted to rest my eyes en route to the start area. After arriving, we found a spot for us to hang out at and rest/socialize. Soon more Road Hammers appeared and our group got larger. We then heard the announcement that the race was going to start ten minutes late because some of the buses got lost. Christy had a sharpie with her, offering it to whomever wanted to write something on their arm, either numbers re the race or an inspirational quote. Given I knew my plan (which was easy to memorize), I thought that it would be nice to write “Ketkwi’m” (Mi’kmaw for “I run”) inside my left forearm. Little did I know how often I would keep glancing at this for the race.

As we all had different goals, we lined up at various times. Meaghan, Ryan, Kaili, Liz, Jennie, Michael, and myself left the big group and together we made our way to the start. Meaghan was aiming for a sub 2:50:00. We all did a quick hug for best wishes as she went to join her corral. The rest of us chatted, took a few photos, and stood around before the marathon began. I then replayed Lee’s plan (which was the same for Kaili and Liz) in my head; warm up for 1K, and then from 2K to 25K, the pace was 4:05 to 4:08, and from 25K to 35K, I was to slightly increase things to 4:03 to 4:05. Then for the remainder, if it’s there, push to go faster than 4:03, and to “pick off the bodies.” That is, focus on passing someone, then when you do, focusing on passing the next person, and repeat till the finish. Lee had faith in me to do great. Now was the time to live up to it.

After the ten minute delay, CIM began. It was a bit of a short huddle to get to the start due to the large number of participants. Then once I passed the initial track pad, I activated my Garmin. Right away, I don’t think any of us (aside from Jennie and Michael) were sticking together (which was totally cool), and pretty much, I was running without a Road Hammer beside me. But I kept repeating the plan; warm up for that first kilometre, and don’t dread that you aren’t at 4:05 to 4:08 for it. I reminded myself to not panic if the pace slows down due to crowded areas or the hills to come. For this race, the focus was the pace; I wouldn’t pay attention to my overall time. My first kilometre was at 4:13. This was fine I thought. Now we can get to the plan. But it didn’t happen right away. The second kilometre mark was a 4:12. I told myself no need for alarm, and just see this as a 2K warm up; nothing is thrown off and you’ll be okay. Things got better from 3K onward for the most part, going above or below my target pace, but always staying near it. Furthermore, while running, I framed the marathon in a different light; to think of it like any other Saturday Long Run that would be 32 kilometres, remove the extended warm up and cool down, then just add 10K on top of it. Viewed this way, I felt dandy with what was to come.

The race seemed to have the most marching bands and or musicians of any marathon that I’ve done to date, which was nice. Another first was that some folks had fire pits going by the road. Growing up in We’koqma’q, my grandmother used to tell me when I was a child that she liked the smell of smoke from a fire, and I feel this way too. Not motivating per se on a marathon, but a different addition that adds a good aroma.

Some folks take the time to memorize an entire course. I usually try to get a gist of it along with major points to note. From watching the race video and what I’ve read, Fair Oaks Hills (at about 9.6K to 17K) looked and sounded tough, that this was the most challenging part of the marathon, and it was. I had about four or so kilometres within this portion where I slipped a bit below the pace plan. Again, I remembered what Erin said for Blue Nose 2021; don’t panic. Just keep with it. If you slow down a little bit, that’s fine. As per Lee, stay relaxed. I knew that it was important not to spare the extra energy for a few seconds of delay. Just get back on track when you can. At 25K, it was time to barely pick things up. However, aside from a couple of kilometres, I was still on my first range. A few times throughout CIM, I reminded myself that as long as I was always under a 4:15 pace, there was a great chance that I could earn a new personal best. Every two to three kilometres, I kept looking at what I wrote on my left arm for that little bit of extra motivation and a reminder. I don’t have any tattoos, but I can see why some folks have something written on the inside of their forearm.

Another instruction since I started being coached was to take my energies every five kilometres. As I don’t like nor use gels, the Gatorade and TailWind worked perfectly. Things got real fun just before Watt (at the 30K mark). The cheer station just seemed a tad bit quiet, and as my hydration energies have a lime orange zing hit, consuming them made me always yell out an energetic and aggressive “ahhh” sound. Some folks got a kick out of it and yelled back at me, which (like the Marine Corps Marathon) resulted in me yelling back more non-sensical noises – a reciprocal effect that the cheer station and I had on each other.

At 32K (three kilometres prior to shifting into high gear), I entered what’s called the “Breakthrough Zone.” It’s a well-known part of the course, and I was feeling good. However, I was sticking with the plan. Coming up to the J Street Bridge, I knew that this was the last climb of the race, and it was all downhill then flat from here on in. Halfway on it, I took another sip from my flask and let out another powerful “ahhh.” Two guys ahead of me cheered me on. Then I hit my 35K mark; it was time to crank it with what I had left. Lee said to pick off those ahead of me, and I did. Running relaxed for the previous 35K worked wonders, because unlike my other marathons, I had a new first at CIM; power, energy, and speed at this distance, and lots of it. I wasn’t tired, and not only did my hamstring not cramp (which has happened), my left one even held out albeit not being 100%. While keeping on pace for the first two major blocks of the plan required a lot of patience and discipline, the last seven felt as if I was “letting loose,” and to simply gradually – not outright – blast forward. I wasn’t exhausted. I wasn’t drained. I was happy and smiling. There was no wall. Lee’s instructions were “whatever you have left, sub 4:03 if it’s there – bodies are key to pick off, and just have to want it.” I had a lot left, and I wanted this – not because of how Fredericton went, but because I love running so much. There were plenty of bodies to pick off, and it was time to gradually pass as many as I could till the finish. The plan was in full effect.

The final seven kilometres just felt beautiful. While I knew some weren’t keen on the weather and warmer temperatures, I loved it – practically embracing the whole thing and experience. Not only did I do a sub 4:03, I even got as fast as 3:53 at one kilometre. On my last two or so kilometres, I felt as if not only could I have gone faster, I could have started a kilometre or two earlier (maybe at the 34K or even 33K mark). But I’m always mindful to stick with the plan – Lee will change it when the time is right.

With other marathons, I almost always felt the last bit was an excruciating push – even with the Marine Corps Marathon as I was just trying to finish it in under three hours. Heading to the finish line with lots of energy left, I smiled because I wasn’t struggling and I wasn’t desperate. I was powerful, felt great, and crossed it with a new personal best of 2:54:00.

Once done, I went to the usual slow walk to help with the recovery. I waited a few minutes because I did pass Liz not that long ago. I met up with and congratulated her. Walking along, I was happy that I wasn’t too achy nor sore, and did I not want to get sick (a feeling I’ve had when doing other races with a strong finish). I have definitely gotten stronger re post-marathon recovery, and I felt the strength that morning. We got some pictures done and gathered to try and group with the other Road Hammers. In due time, more and more of the team gathered around. Christy reserved a table for us at Sauced BBQ & Spirits to celebrate post-marathon. Ryan and I arrived first and early (I opted not to return to my place right away), chatting along the way about probably being some of the few folks from Unama’ki/Cape Breton Island doing CIM that day, and how grateful we were to be here. Soon others arrived, and I ordered what was probably the best turkey salad to date that I ever had in a restaurant, a sweet passionfruit drink, delicious cornbread, and awful coffee (which the waitress warned me about). We all shared and discussed CIM, what we liked, where things were tougher than expected, and potential future marathons. But as always; we congratulated each other on completing the race – regardless of the finish time – because doing a marathon is always an achievement.

When the victory lunch was over, we went our separate ways. Before I departed, I thanked Christy for booking the restaurant and Meaghan for the idea, inspiration, and invitation to do CIM with the team. I stopped at Target to grab some more food for the evening. I found myself actually starving. I did some yoga, and even after finishing what I brought back to the loft, I ended up ordering some Popeyes Chicken. After ten marathons, this was the most hungry I have been to date post-42.2K. Maybe it was the proper carb-loading from the previous days, or the powerful finish at the end of the race, but yeah; so very hungry. That night, I saw a very thoughtful The Social Media post from the We’koqma’q page re me doing CIM; it reminded me of the love and support I received for the 2022 Boston Marathon.

While others had their plans, I opted to stick around Sacramento for the next two days. Although I ran through it, I didn’t take time to properly tour and visit it, so that’s what I did. I headed to the State Indian Museum to take time to learn about local Indigenous history and culture (as I would want folks to learn about the Mi’kmaq when in Mi’kma’ki). I had some good conversations with one of the workers (who is Choctaw), sharing our cultures re canoes and other things. Before leaving, I gave a donation for their fundraising efforts, a gift from the Mi’kmaw Nation as I saw it. Walking along, I met a lovely large Sheltie and chatted with his fur-mother for several minutes about all things Shelties. I also stopped along the way to smell the flowers at a gorgeous rose garden.

One of my favourite things to do after a marathon (either the day of or the next day) is encountering others in the area who also did the 42.2K distance (the race gear helps us a lot in spotting one another). I stopped to speak with several others who were from all over and were also exploring Sacramento, reflecting upon yesterday (oddly enough, many also didn’t like the weather and temperatures), and sharing our race plans and future marathon goals. The support us strangers share with each other is simply magnificent, because runners aren’t necessarily strangers; just friends you haven’t met yet. I ended up walking a half marathon distance that day to help things out.

Waking up very early on December 5 and with lots of time, I thought it would be something special to walk as close as I can to the airport. I cleaned and cleared my place and took whatever leftover foods that I had and gave it to a group of homeless folks who were socializing in a tent. Walking north, while the trails were beautiful, it was sad to see so many more camps with tents set up. It easily reminded me of the housing crisis, and how awful poverty and homelessness are. I spent some time walking and thinking about how this could be addressed.

Another reason I did this walk (for 32 kilometres) was to help things flow more and to simply see other parts of Sacramento aside from downtown. Plus I thought it was kind of fun to save a few dollars on an Uber by taking one closer to the airport rather than further away from it (i.e., downtown). In three days, I covered nearly 100 kilometres on foot.

On this trip, I was away from November 29 to December 6, yet I only got to spend one day with my fellow Road Hammers. Nevertheless, albeit just being one day (in fact, it was only for several hours, and for two hours and fifty-four minutes, I wasn’t hanging out with any of them per se – just sharing the road), it was an incredible and wonderful one. Like every race – every experience – I’m grateful and thankful to those whom I train with, who coach me (directly or informally), and inspire, motivate, support, love, and who helped raise me. Life may not always be fair, but it’s always beautiful.